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While I was out this weekend, running errands and shopping for Christmas
presents, I decided to take a scenic route to view areas of neighborhoods that are well known for their Christmas displays. The amount of time and resources that I imagined it took to create some of these breathtaking displays are truly amazing.
Then I started thinking about all the electricity generated to power
these displays and possible safety issues this must create every year. According to
USA
Facts, Christmas decorations are the cause of about 18,000 trips to the ER each year. These are not all due to electric
hazards, but it still demonstrates if you are not taking proper precautions, you can end up in the ER or even worse, lose your life.
I’m not saying “Bah Humbug" or even discouraging people from putting
up their best display that illuminates your neighborhood night sky brighter than
Clark W. Griswold.
After all, Christmas is one of my favorite holidays! I wanted to simply remind people to take appropriate safety measures whenever possible, especially when working with electricity. This includes shutting down the power source; live wires aren’t usually visually
detectable until it's too late. Any electrical equipment I use, I inspect to make sure the cords aren’t frayed and the insulation isn’t damaged. It doesn’t take much, even a pin hole can be enough to cause an injury.
You may be asking how this relates to the healthcare field? Laparoscopic
and bipolar electrosurgical instruments are common and can potentially cause serious injury or even death if not properly insulated. Defects such as pinholes, cracks and bare spots in the jacket or coating aren’t always going to be visually detectable.
Insulation testing is important to check the integrity of electrosurgical
equipment for flaws in protective coatings. That coating is there in order to prevent inadvertent tissue burns, which may occur during electrosurgical instrument procedures. Implementing routine inspections with insulation testers will help ensure your equipment
is working properly and keep patients and healthcare workers safe.
Matt Smith
Senior Manager of Marketing
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